The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is waiting with bated breath FIFA’s directive which could settle the ongoing “impasse” with the Sports Registrar.
The statement, which is expected to streamline the way forward for Kenyan football, will be the fallout from the judgement made by Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) pertaining the FKF elections.
Breaking the loud silence in an interview after the SDT ruling which nullified the FKF elections that had already been held up to the county level, the FKF president Nick Mwendwa, simply said that they don’t agree with the decision, therefore, they would wait for an urgent response from FIFA.
The SDT chairman John Ohaga cited an unreasonable Electoral Code, which the tribunal termed a “violation of the principle of free and fair elections contemplated by Section 46 (6) as read with Paragraph (d) of the Second Schedule to the Sports Act and Article 81 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.”
This was after FKF petitioned the Tribunal against the government’s Sports Registrar for clarity on some sections of the Sports Act.
“All our arguments at the tribunal (against the registrar), have been upheld by the tribunal. Almost all of our cross petitioners’ arguments against us have also been dismissed,” said FKF President Nick Mwendwa.
“To our shock, the SDT Chair moved to nullify the entire election, after saying that the Electoral Board and Appeals Committee was proper and that we did proper public participation. We don’t agree with the decision but we will go by it and await FIFA’s directive,” he added.
The ruling means that Mwendwa, whose term of office expired on February 10, cannot make any binding decisions regarding football in Kenya until the normalisation committee is established.
Former FKF boss Sam Nyamweya and Ex-Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga, both interested in the president’s seat in the coming elections voiced their concerns through the Sports Registrar over the composition of the electoral board as well as the regulations for candidates to be allowed to vie.
FIFA may acknowledge the SDT request for an appointment of normalization committee but in case they refuse, Minister of Sports may decide to intervene by appointing a committee to assume the management, an action which may force the world football governing body ban Kenya from all football activities.
Photo Credit: Capital FM
